Lesson Plan: SpaceX Falcon: A Roar of Thunder And An Important Milestone!
II. While Reading Activities
Word Inference
- NASA |ˈnasə| abbreviation-National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
- Astronauts |ˈastrəˌnôt| noun-a person who is trained to travel in a spacecraft.
- entrepreneur |ˌäntrəprəˈnər| noun-a person who organizes and operates a business or businesses, taking on greater than normal financial risks in order to do so.
- mannequin |ˈmanəkən| noun-a dummy used to display clothes in a store window.
- visions |ˈviZHən| noun-the ability to think about or plan the future with imagination or wisdom: the organization had lost its vision and direction.
- sonic boom |ˈsänik bo͞om| noun- a loud explosive noise caused by the shock wave from an aircraft traveling faster than the speed of sound.
- quell |kwel| verb–put an end to (a rebellion or other disorder), typically by the use of force: extra police were called to quell the disturbance.
- vociferously |vəˈsif(ə)rəslē| adverb-in a loud and forceful manner: the country vociferously opposed the war.
- anticipate |anˈtisəˌpāt| verb [with object] regard as probable; expect or predict: she anticipated scorn on her return to the theater | [with clause] : it was anticipated that the rains would slow the military campaign.
- aspirational |ˌaspəˈrāSHənlˌaspəˈrāSHnəl| adjective-having or characterized by aspirations to achieve social prestige and material success: young, aspirational, and independent women.
Source:New Oxford American Dictionary
Reading Comprehension:
Fill-ins
The Falcon Heavy is capable of lifting 140,000 pounds to low-Earth orbit, more than any other rocket today. Because all three boosters are to be recovered to fly again, a Falcon Heavy launch costs not much more than one by the company’s existing rocket, Mr. Musk said. SpaceX lists a price of $90 million for a Falcon Heavy flight, compared with $62 million for one by Falcon 9, a bargain in the context of spaceflight. SpaceX has booked upcoming Heavy flights for Arabsat, a Saudi Arabian communications company, and the United States Air Force.
Grammar Focus: Prepositions
Although delayed by high-altitude winds, the countdown proceeded smoothly, without any of the glitches that have bedeviled other maiden launches of new rockets. The Heavy roared to life, a plume of smoke and steam shooting sideways from the launchpad. It rose from the pad, with an impossibly bright glare of 27 engines beneath it. Then a thunderous roar, traveling at the speed of sound, rolled over the spectators.
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